1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, method and computer program product for delivering electronic messages. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method, system and computer program for delivering electronic xe2x80x9cchatxe2x80x9d messages.
2. Related Art
Computers have gained widespread acceptance as a means of communication between individuals. The real-time exchange of messages via a computer, or computer xe2x80x9cchat,xe2x80x9d is a particularly popular method of on-line communication, as it permits the dynamic exchange of messages between remote computer users that is much like a real conversation. For this reason, chat is a particularly effective communication tool for social interaction.
In a typical chat session, when a participant types a line of text into his computer and then presses the Enter key, that participant""s words appear in a two-dimensional (2D) window on the computer screens of other participants, who can respond in kind. Two-dimensional chat systems of this type are well known and are commonly implemented through the use of specialized Internet utility programs or via client-server systems such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
The use of chat programs in combination with three-dimensional (3D) multi-user environments is also known in the art. In a 3D multi-user environment, computer users interact with digital representations of each other, sometimes called xe2x80x9cAvatars,xe2x80x9d and objects in a commonly-shared virtual 3D space. 3D multi-user environments are often implemented in client-server systems, in which the server maintains a virtual 3D space and the client provides the user interface to that space. Chat is particularly useful in combination with social 3D multi-user environments that permit users to meet and converse with each other in 3D space. In addition, chat is useful with 3D on-line multiplayer games, in which many players interact, either cooperatively or competitively, and must communicate with each in order to respond to real-time events occurring in the 3D game world. In 3D multi-user environments the users typically view the 3D world through a window, or 3D viewport, displayed on their computer screen. Conventional systems that combine chat with a 3D multi-user environment typically display chat messages in a 2D window that is adjacent to, or overlays, the 3D viewport. As such, these systems suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, by allotting screen space to the 2D chat window, these systems necessarily provide smaller or obscured viewports into the virtual 3D space. As a result, users may have a more difficult time perceiving and responding to events that occur in the 3D world.
Also, these systems require the user to manage it least two interfaces in order to interact with other users, which can be difficult and may cause the user to miss events that occur in the 3D world or lose track of conversations that appear in the 2D window, or both. Because the user is required to deal with two distinct interfaces (2D and 3D) that have very different appearances and do not mesh seamlessly, the user will generally have a less immersive and less intuitive experience.
Conventional systems that use both a 2D and 3D window are particularly disadvantageous in that they make it difficult to locate the digital representation of the sender of any given chat message in the 3D world, as there is no direct connection between the sender""s chat message appearing in the 2D window and the sender""s Avatar in the 3D world. Some of these systems attempt to establish such a connection by, for example, displaying name tags adjacent to the Avatars in the 3D world and also placing the sender""s name adjacent to the sender""s chat message in the 2D window. By looking at the name adjacent to the chat message in the 2D window and then scanning the 3D window for an Avatar with a matching name tag, the recipient of the message can attempt to locate the digital representation of the sender in the 3D world. However, because the recipient is required to scan at least two interfaces to locate the sender""s Avatar, this solution is less than ideal and can cause the recipient to miss events that occur in the 3D environment as well as lose track of messages appearing in the 2D window. Also, this solution simply does not work when the sender""s Avatar is behind the recipient or other wise out side of the view of the recipient""s 3D viewport. Similar correlation schemes involving color coding or some other association between the 2D chat message and the Avatars in the 3D viewport suffer from the same disadvantages.
These systems are also disadvantageous in that they do not indicate in 3D space the direction from which a chat message originated. As a result, the recipient of the chat message is not given an indication of the location of the digital representation of the sender in the 3D world.
These systems are also disadvantageous in that chat messages are limited to two-dimensional text, and do not include any graphic, audio or animation component. Thus, senders of chat messages in conventional systems are unable to customize their chat messages with a graphic, audio or animation component, thereby generating a unique xe2x80x9csignaturexe2x80x9d for the sender that enhances the ability of the recipient to identify the sender of the message.
The present invention is directed to a chat system for delivering a message between a sender and a recipient in a three-dimensional (3D) multi-user environment, wherein the 3D multi-user environment maintains respective digital representations of the sender and the recipient. Embodiments of the invention include a recipient interface that receives a message, maps the message to a texture to generate a textured message, and renders the textured message in the 3D multi-user environment so as to permit the recipient to visually ascertain the location of the digital representation of the sender.
Alternate embodiments of the invention include a sender interface and a recipient interface that includes a recipient viewport. The recipient interface receives a message from the sender interface, maps the message to a texture to generate a textured message, periodically determines the location of the digital representation of the sender and the location of the digital representation of the recipient, and periodically renders the textured message in the three-dimensional multi-user environment along a path between the location of the digital representation of the sender and the location of the digital representation of the recipient, so as to permit the recipient to visually ascertain the location of the digital representation of the sender through the recipient viewport.
In an embodiment of the invention, the sender interface and recipient interface each comprise software modules and the messages are sent over the Internet.
The invention is advantageous in that it permits the delivery of a chat message in a 3D multi-user environment without requiring the use of both a 3D viewport and a separate 2D window. Accordingly, the invention allows screen space to be conserved for the 3D viewport, which provides the user with a better view into the 3D world and thereby generates a more immersive and intuitive experience for the user. In on-line multiplayer games that involve interaction with objects or other players in a 3D world, it is critical to provide as large a viewport as possible so that players can effectively perceive and respond to game events.
The invention is also advantageous in that it permits the delivery of a chat message in a 3D multi-user environment via one integrated viewport, rather than via two or more windows. Because the invention permits the recipient of a chat message to view the chat message and interact with the 3D world via the same interface, the recipient is better able to avoid missing events in the 3D world and/or losing track of chat messages.
Another benefit of the invention is that it permits the recipient of a chat message in a 3D multi-user environment to locate the digital representation of the sender of the chat message in the 3D world, even when the digital representation of the sender is outside the scope of the recipient""s 3D viewport.
Yet another benefit of the invention is that it permits the recipient of a chat message in a 3D multi-user environment to determine the direction from which a chat message originated. Accordingly, the recipient of a chat message is given an indication of the location of the digital representation of the sender in the 3D world.
A further advantage of the invention is that it supports chat messages with a graphic, audio or animation component customizable by the sender. The sender is thereby permitted to customize a chat message to generate a unique xe2x80x9csignaturexe2x80x9d that enhances the recipient""s ability to identify the sender of the message. The graphic, audio or animation component can also be utilized to indicate the content of the chat message or the intended number of recipients of the chat message.
A further benefit of the invention is that it manages received messages on a 3D viewport in a manner that ensures legibility of received messages and indicates the location of the digital representation of the sender in the 3D world.